THOUGHTS TO START YOUR DAY!

Have you ever been challenged to “practice what you preach”? I have, so let me tell you how it came about recently. As a teacher in our local adult Bible Study class, I had just completed a three-month focus upon what we value in our church. Our resource material was comprised of a selection of 10 discourses highlighting our denominational values which was written by a variety of authors. I will simply list our values to give a sampling of the high standards by which we st

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. -Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV) Mondays don't always cooperate. In my ideal world, I'd start every week with a clean kitchen, an updated to-do list, and clean laundry all put away. I'd be well rested and ready to take on the world or at least the week. My pantry would be stocked, the menu would be planned, and all the meetings would be on the cale

What is the difference between hoping for something and hoping in something? We were talking about this very question this week at our MOPS gathering and it really got me thinking about how thankful I am to know Jesus! See, when we can only hope for something to happen, as in, "I hope everything works out ok" or "I hope that someday I'll be able to achieve this goal", we are completely at the mercy of "chance" or "luck". This feels so haphazard and out-of-control to me! I don

Peanut butter and jelly. A salad with some simple toppings. Scrambled eggs and toast. Cheese and crackers. Muffins and fruit. Goldfish and Cheerios. Pizza. Simple foods. Nothing fancy on this list. But when someone else makes them? Decadent. That's the magic of hospitality. Hosting friends does not require a gourmet spread. The only requirement is a thoughtful, caring heart, and it will transfer to the food, to the home and to the conversation. I can't explain it. All I know